Perserverance
by DinoDina
Summary: They couldn't meet normally—not in Hogsmeade or at Hogwarts—because of her family. They could barley manage to speak in the corridors. But there they were, standing together, just as they had for the past few years; nothing would be able to keep Ted and Andromeda apart for long. Oneshot written for QLFC.


**Written for QLFC Season 5, Final Round 2  
** **Team:** Wigtown Wanderers  
 **Position:** Beater 2  
 **Prompt:** T: Ted Tonks, Third Floor of Hogwarts, Troll, Teacup  
 **Additional Prompts:** 2\. (colour) blue, 3. (location) Hogwarts. 14. (time) night  
 **Word Count:** 1045

 **Thanks to Aya for betaing!**

Ted smoothed down the front of his dress robes. They weren't nearly as presentable as he wanted, having not been worn for quite some time, but he hoped that they were presentable enough. There was no time for a quick spell to fix them, though; the spell could go wrong, and Andy would be there any minute.

He looked nervously towards the door. He wanted to be facing it when she came, but looking at it… his heart could barely take it. He hoped his hands weren't sweating—they didn't usually, but he was so nervous he wouldn't put it past them. Ted licked his lips. Any second now.

The door still didn't open, however.

Ted worried his lips with his teeth, now. He hoped that Andy _had_ managed to get away from the Slytherin dorms; she always did, but he never knew for sure.

She knew how to get to where he was, of course. How many times had they met there already? Nine times that year. And nine times the previous year. Eighteen total encounters since the moment Ted had slipped her a note as they passed each other in a third floor corridor.

He remembered the note word-for-word, even now: _How was your summer? I know you didn't get to write, but you can tell me all about it later. Friday, seventh floor left corridor. I'll meet you there, nine o'clock._

She'd met him there, as promised, hidden with a Disillusionment Charm.

She'd been so careful: looking over her shoulder as they'd walked down the corridor, paying attention to both him and the space around them as he'd told her how to get into the Come and Go Room.

At first, he'd worried that she wasn't paying attention—he always worried about things—but he was quickly proved wrong. She'd gotten every word of how to get in: to walk back and forth three times in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls the ballet while thinking of the room she needed.

He remembered waiting for Andy for their second date a month after that, already standing inside the room. They could only meet at nine that day—and it had already been past curfew—so the tea-laden tray he'd set up seemed out of place, but Ted had been proud of it. When Andy had shown up—having remembered, even after the month, how to get in—she hadn't laughed.

She'd smiled.

"I've only ever been to formal family teas," she'd said as she picked up a teacup and examined it.

They always had tea after that. Ted's Muggle parents had very few traditions, but cozy family teas had been a staple part of his time with them.

There was a table set up for tea behind Ted now: two chairs stood on either side of it, and the only thing missing was Andromeda.

Ted bit his lip again. He knew she wouldn't stop worrying until she arrived.

But he knew it could take a while.

"I want to see you," Andy had said to him three years ago. "But I can't. They'll see, and they'll tell my parents. You're Muggleborn, Ted—I don't care what they'd do to me! But I'm terrified for you."

That had been said in passing in the third floor corridor—the only place they could exchange words or notes, having no classes together that allowed them to do so..

The summer after that, Ted had worked endlessly to find them a place to meet. He'd finally learned about the Come and Go Room from a roommate's cousin's parent's friend.

It was perfect—it had been then, too, and had been witness to their nighttime dates ever since.

Ted was just glancing back at the tea table—he knew there was nothing wrong with it, but it wouldn't hurt to check—when he heard the door open.

"Andy!"

He felt his face shift into a lovestruck grin as she approached, taking off her Disillusionment Charm to reveal her midnight blue dress robes. She smiled at him in return, and her face, so handsome that it was almost off-putting, softened and radiated warmth.

"I'm sorry I'm late."

"No, no, please don't be!" Ted hurried over to her and took her hands.

He smiled again, suddenly shy, and bent down to kiss them. He kissed her lips, then, too. "You look lovely."

"Thank you." Andromeda ducked her head as they walked to the table. "So do you. Very dashing."

Ted laughed. He knew he was far from dashing, but he was so happy he didn't care.

Andromeda admired the teacups. They changed every month, and now displayed a countryside setting.

"They're lovely today," she said. "I'd like to own some like these one day."

"One day," Ted echoed.

He poured out their tea, sat down, and took Andy's hand across the table.

"Just to think," she said after several minutes, "a few more months, and we won't be meeting here anymore."

"About that…" Ted swallowed. "I… er… I kind of wanted to talk about that."

"Oh?"

"About the future." He paused. "Our future."

"Our future?"

"Because I want there to be one. A future for us, I mean. After Hogwarts."

Andromeda put her teacup down. "You mean keep going out together?" She tilted her head inquiringly. "Or a flat?"

"Along the lines of a flat, yeah."

"My family would never allow that."

"Even when you're of age?"

"They'd find us." Andromeda's face fell even more than before; she sounded desperate. "I want to. Merlin, I want to, and I _would_. But putting you at risk…"

Ted squeezed her hand reassuringly. "It's a good thing I wasn't just talking about a flat. I'd move the earth and sky for you, as stupid as it sounds. But I'm stupidly in love with you. Not even your family can change that. Andromeda Black..." He took a breath and slid off his chair to kneel next to the table. "Will you marry me?"

He had the ring in his hand, and then he was putting it on hers. Her cry of "Yes!" was drowned out when she kissed him, and through that kiss, Ted could feel her resolve, and their love for each other; they could get past anything.


End file.
